Trump shooter Thomas Crooks wasn’t the only individual on the Secret Service’s radar on the day of the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, according to acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe.
On Tuesday, Rowe appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to answer questions about the attempt against Trump’s life at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
During the hearing, Rowe was repeatedly asked how the Secret Service allowed Trump to take the stage if they were aware that the shooter, Crooks, was seen as a suspicious individual beforehand. Rowe took ownership of the security failure but said that when Trump started speaking, Crooks hadn’t been determined to be a threat.
Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. testifies before a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security and Government Affairs committees in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on July 30, 2024, in Washington, D.C. During the hearing, he said that Thomas Crooks was not the only person on the agency’s radar on the day of the Trump shooting.
Chip Somodevila/Getty Images
“There were other calls that day of individuals who came to the attention of law enforcement…regarding the assailant, that never really rose to a level of we should not put him out there,” Rowe said. “Had we known that there was a dangerous individual out there, we would never let a protectee go out on stage.”
Rowe later added that he didn’t have an exact number of suspicious persons reports the Secret Service received but confirmed there were several individuals being looked into.
Later on in the hearing, Rowe was asked by Senator John Cornyn when a suspicious individual “becomes identified as a threat.”
In response, Rowe said, “I think it’s also when a weapon or some other dangerous item is then presented.”
When further asked why Trump was allowed to take the stage after Crooks was seen as a suspicious person, Rowe said, “At that time Senator, suspicion had not risen to the level of threat or imminent harm.”
On July 13, Crooks, 20, was identified as the individual who shot at the former president at a campaign rally over the weekend while he was on stage, injuring his ear in an assassination attempt. Crooks was later killed by the Secret Service while one rally attendee also died and two others were in critical condition.
Shortly after the incident, many criticized the Secret Service and its former Director Kimberly Cheatle. Calls for Cheatle to resign increased following the shooting and she eventually announced her resignation to employees, allowing Rowe to become the Acting Director of the Secret Service.
In addition to Rowe’s testimony today, House Speaker Mike Johnson recently announced legislation that will create a task force of House members to investigate the assassination attempt.
“There’s a deadline of early December for the final report but we expect and anticipate interim reports along the way. That work will begin in earnest, they will be issuing subpoenas. We will get down to the bottom of this,” Johnson said while appearing on Fox News‘ America’s Newsroom last week.
Newsweek reached out to the Secret Service via email for comment.
Update, 7/30/24, 12:25 p.m. EST: This story has been updated with further information.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
